Russian gp ROTR thread

[roblo97]

I nominate Massa for just being plain awful.

[Collieafc]

Infinite run off areas - part of me wanted a proper gravel trap at the start to snare people who ran off.

But my choice is Rosberg. Why? Because his mistake cost us a good fight for the front. His drive to second was expected due to the Mercs domination this year.

Refusing to blame Pirelli as with no data they had the choice of being overly conservative but safe (like today) or an Indygate/Pirelligate scenario with tyres wearing far to fast. They rightfully picked the safe option. Dishonourables for Caterams excuses and Toro Rossos (particularly Kvyat) who collapsed entirely on Sunday

[andrew]

Jean todt, forgetting to shake Fernando Alonsos hand before the race.

[mario]

I got only one nomination. Pirelli Tyres.

Only thing that could've spiced up the race woulda been variable tactis and pitstop shenanigans. But no, Pirelli HAD to go all Bridgestone on us and bring in tyres that just wouldn't break. bathplug that. Fastest lap on 53-lap old Primes? Merc or no Merc, that's bullshite.

Pirelli had no data whatsoever for Sochi. How would they know what the degradation would be like? Going for the middle ground seemed like a sensible enough option; okay, they were too durable, but Pirelli now know that for next year. You can't expect them to go in blind and get it right first time.

Well, it seems that they were presented with a limited amount of information during construction of the venues, but the test data they were presented with was misleading and indicated that the track surface would be a lot more abrasive than it actually turned out to be, hence the relatively conservative tyre choice. In the circumstances, therefore, I'm not really inclined to blame them given that they were lead to expect harsher conditions than they actually experienced.

Massa's failure to progress through the field certainly stands out, but the blame for that should be at least partially shared with the team - their strategy was to run the softer tyre to the end of the race, therefore undoing all of the good work that Massa had done on the opening lap to gain positions by pitting him immediately.
If they'd left Massa out on the medium tyre for a long stint and run a one stop strategy, or told Massa to go for a two stop strategy and to drive hard in both stints, then they might have had some success - instead, they ended up with the worst of both worlds as Massa could neither attack nor make the tyres last long enough, with the advantage of fresh tyres simply not being anywhere near enough to overcome the time losses in the pit lane.

[Ross Prawn]

The race was indeed a complete snooze. I then watched the eight hours of carnage from Bathurst which cheered me up immensely. So I nominate the circuit, its not bad, but it just isn't difficult enough to challenge top rank drivers.

Oh, and I predict the excessive Putin coverage will rebound big time on F1. Its time for Bernie to go.

[dr-baker]

Jean todt, forgetting to shake Fernando Alonsos hand before the race.

[quote=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/116334]This[/quote].

[Dj_bereta]

Easily TV Directors. One of worst coverages of the year.

[SimtekFan32]

ROTR for me:

Vladimir Putin for showing up.

[go_Rubens]

This one has to go to NBC's Leigh Diffey for me, because of this quote:

Massa has shown great maturity and his experience this season...

'Nuff said. I'll give it credit where credit's due, it's hilarious!

[More_Blue_Flags]

TV Directors for uninspired coverage of the race and insipid, fawning coverage of the Putin-Bernie lovefest.

Other unworthy efforts included:
1. Anything powered by a Renault
2. Why was Kobayashi pulled by Caterham? Saving engine hours for the next pay driver?
3. Kimi and the Hulk were pretty dismal compared to their teammates - again.

Benefit of the doubt exemptions go to Pirelli, the track and race itself (Sochi has a few good turns and would be more interesting with different tyre choices) and Massa/Williams strategists.

ROTR: Renault powerplants, or some grovelling computer-generated graphic that thanks Putin for being so awesome

OK, it wasn't cheesy computer graphics, but at least I got the bit about grovelling to Putin right.

[Aerond]

Surprised no to hear a lot more about Toro Rosso, those wheeled things were just pathetic during the race.

[CoopsII]

I'm going to nominate the race, but not the track as I found watching the cars a positive experience, they looked quick. I'm sure the powers that be will sort the race for next year. Probably, add a couple of half-pipes and make stunts compulsory or a couple of fire-pits.

Secondly, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin for the worst impression of someone enjoying themselves I've seen for some time. For a moment I thought he'd take the trophies home himself ("Nyet, I keep these. You all go back to your decadent West!").

[Yannick]

Infinite run off areas - part of me wanted a proper gravel trap at the start to snare people who ran off.

The runoff areas at Sochi definitely are not infinite. There are places in which the concrete walls are awfully close to the racing line - even when there is literally nothing behind them but empty space. It's almost like at the Korean Yeongam Circuit. Some of those walls need to be moved back for next year's race.

[DanielPT]

I won't nominate TV directors as I have no doubt in my mind they were 'forced' to show the Putin-Bernie images. Instead my first ROTR nomination will go to Bernie Ecclestone for placing F1 right in the middle of politics when it wasn't really needed and for playing a big part in weak propaganda footage. The second nomination will go to FIA for letting this go by happily. I know the race wasn't being that exciting, but still...

[Salamander]

Infinite run off areas - part of me wanted a proper gravel trap at the start to snare people who ran off.

The runoff areas at Sochi definitely are not infinite. There are places in which the concrete walls are awfully close to the racing line - even when there is literally nothing behind them but empty space. It's almost like at the Korean Yeongam Circuit. Some of those walls need to be moved back for next year's race.

Yeah, the walls are right at the edge of the track limits down the straights, but that's not a problem. Did anyone hit those in the race? No. What we need is walls on the exit of turn 2, and probably turn 4 as well. Make it a proper street circuit. The track is wide enough as it is anyway.

[madmark1974]

I'll go with Felipe Massa as well, considering he was within DRS range of Rosberg for quite a few laps, at around 1/3 race distance, by the end he was more than 1 minute behind him! (OK so he had an extra stop, but still ...)

As a comparison, Bottas finished less than 20 seconds behind Hamilton, and his best lap was 2 seconds faster than Massa's best!

[Backmarker]

If the FIA is insistent on having enough runoff to allow a plane to take off, make it out of the super-grippy stuff they have at Paul Ricard so that if drivers step off the racing line they lose a decent amount of time.

[watka]

Tarmac run offs, made the whole thing look like it was taking place in a car park.
The race itself had all the charm and excitement of a Valencia GP.

The track did actually pass by, if not on, the car parks for many of the Olympic venues!

I got only one nomination. Pirelli Tyres.

Only thing that could've spiced up the race woulda been variable tactis and pitstop shenanigans. But no, Pirelli HAD to go all Bridgestone on us and bring in tyres that just wouldn't break. bathplug that. Fastest lap on 53-lap old Primes? Merc or no Merc, that's bullshite.

Pirelli had no data whatsoever for Sochi. How would they know what the degradation would be like? Going for the middle ground seemed like a sensible enough option; okay, they were too durable, but Pirelli now know that for next year. You can't expect them to go in blind and get it right first time.

I think it is legit to make my ROTR if not Pirelli, then tyre research for the race in general. I understand that playing it safe is a sensible option but could they really not carry out the necessary research? I'm sure Putin would have loved to have had a few generic open-wheelers do a few demo runs at the newly opened circuit which could have served as research opportunities. They haven't struggled in the past with other new circuits so why now this one?

I don't blame the circuit, as I have mentioned in other threads they've actually managed to make a street circuit that isn't so horrendous off line that cars have to stick to the racing line or bin it.

Perhaps I'm just stuck for options as I don't think any particular driver or team did a bad job this weekend!

[Sublime_FA11C]

Fuel Management
In 2014 fuel management means all teams underfuel the cars to save weight, wait for an endless safety car during which they save all they need, then they crank up the fuel to max for the rest of the race. There's no deviation from this. Rarely has fuel saving featured in track battles but in Sochi, since the assumed 100% chance of safety car turned out to be 100% wrong, fuel saving completely destroyed the race. Pirelli decided to err on the side of caution, but given the crap they themselves had to endure post Silverstone last year, and the heightened importance of safety at the moment, they should be let off the hook this time.

The track looked a mixed bag with turns 1 to 4 already looking very good, but the rest of the track looked very dull. The 2nd DRS zone didn't work and the cars simply weren't driven in anger so we don't really know if it's good or bad. The drivers all agree that it's enjoyable and technically demanding so let's hope it's true and next time we get a proper race.

TV Coverage
Gets a honorable mention but not for Putin. Aside from sector 1, the camera positions were terrible and the Russian producers seemed completely uninspired when trying to capture the excitement of an F1 race. Granted, there wasn't much excitement in the first place, much of the circuit was constrained by ugly gray areas, and i did like what they did in sector 1 + heli coverage, but with a bit more effort the race could have at least looked as if it was less tedious.

Bahrain this year is a good example of how using a variety of camera angles and shots can make a processional race seem more exciting. They also lucked into a cracker of a race, but even without close racing it looked as if the TV production team there actually had a clue about race coverage. By comparison coverage from Sochi seemed like "Olymic Park turned temporary race course around modern buildings in a sea of gray + Here's some F1 cars as an extended feature, but we wont make them look exciting" was what they were trying to achieve.

As for Putin, he was featured much more then you'd expect, but since this is the inaugural Russian GP i wont complain really. He at least tried to fit in and make the most of it, but just looked awkward and out of place.

[DOSBoot]

1. Caterham: Intentionally retiring Kobayashi's car shows how cash strapped the team is.

2. Putin: Because I can.

[Fetzie]

I think it is legit to make my ROTR if not Pirelli, then tyre research for the race in general. I understand that playing it safe is a sensible option but could they really not carry out the necessary research? I'm sure Putin would have loved to have had a few generic open-wheelers do a few demo runs at the newly opened circuit which could have served as research opportunities. They haven't struggled in the past with other new circuits so why now this one?

I don't blame the circuit, as I have mentioned in other threads they've actually managed to make a street circuit that isn't so horrendous off line that cars have to stick to the racing line or bin it.

Perhaps I'm just stuck for options as I don't think any particular driver or team did a bad job this weekend!

Perhaps they couldn't get that equipment into the country because of import sanctions?

Thing is, if you can do damn close to the fastest race lap on 52 lap old Mediums (Nico essentially drove a zero-stop race), would we have seen a much different race if Pirelli had taken SS/S as the tyre choice for the race? I'm not sure we would have done.

[andrew]

Jean todt, forgetting to shake Fernando Alonsos hand before the race.

[quote=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/116334]This

.[/quote]
I have run out of my free views, what does it say?

[Fetzie]

Jean todt, forgetting to shake Fernando Alonsos hand before the race.

[quote=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/116334]This

.

I have run out of my free views, what does it say?[/quote]

Todt had already greeted and hugged Alonso shortly before the line-up, so didn't need to do so again.

[WeirdKerr]

Bernard Charles Ecclestone

[Normal32]

I think it is legit to make my ROTR if not Pirelli, then tyre research for the race in general. I understand that playing it safe is a sensible option but could they really not carry out the necessary research? I'm sure Putin would have loved to have had a few generic open-wheelers do a few demo runs at the newly opened circuit which could have served as research opportunities. They haven't struggled in the past with other new circuits so why now this one?
I don't blame the circuit, as I have mentioned in other threads they've actually managed to make a street circuit that isn't so horrendous off line that cars have to stick to the racing line or bin it.
Perhaps I'm just stuck for options as I don't think any particular driver or team did a bad job this weekend!

Seconded.It blew the race a bit,since we would have seen a better race.
Also,i will nominate the tv coverage,was simply awful and sometimes racing angles were not too good

[Captain Hammer]

2. Putin: Because I can.

And that was the last we ever heard from DOSBoot.

Or so we thought until six months later when he returned to share his nine-thousand verse epic poem "Ode to Vladimir" and express an inexplicable fear of vacuum cleaners and pears.

[Ferrim]

I know he didn't do anything daft, but it's about time Adrian Sutil gets a ROTR and I fear he has just four opportunities left. How many weekends in a row has he been outpaced and outraced by Gutiérrez Gutiérrez now?

[good_Ralf]

Slight change in my nominations. I'm no longer nominating the track as in the right conditions it might work, but I'm still nominating Toro Rosso, FOM TV directors and also the stewards for awarding penalty points for just a minor collision.

[Captain Hammer]

A minor collision, but an altogether avoidable one. The corner is designed to give an attacking driver an advantage on the exit because they don't have to cut back across to defend the racing line - they naturally assume it. So if you get caught on the outside, you're almost guaranteed to lose a position. Grosjean's move was sloppy because he had the high ground by way of track position, but he was coming from too far away. If it were anywhere else, he would have gotten away with it, but here, it was a bad move.

[Salamander]

A minor collision, but an altogether avoidable one. The corner is designed to give an attacking driver an advantage on the exit because they don't have to cut back across to defend the racing line - they naturally assume it. So if you get caught on the outside, you're almost guaranteed to lose a position. Grosjean's move was sloppy because he had the high ground by way of track position, but he was coming from too far away. If it were anywhere else, he would have gotten away with it, but here, it was a bad move.

How was he coming from too far away? Sutil was attacking him. He could've backed off sooner and attack again at turn 4, but trying to press the issue around the outside of turn 2 wasn't ever going to work. The kink on the exit of the corner forced him to either go off and give the position back afterward, or severely limit the amount of room Grosjean had to manoeuvre with to the point where a collision was inevitable unless Grosjean braked much sooner than he did. Which would've meant just outright conceding the position.

[Londoner]

I know he didn't do anything daft, but it's about time Adrian Sutil gets a ROTR and I fear he has just four opportunities left. How many weekends in a row has he been outpaced and outraced by Gutiérrez Gutiérrez now?

In all fairness, he's probably still massively shaken up by what he witnessed at Suzuka. If that's the case (and I suspect it might be), he deserves plaudits for even racing at Sochi.

On a similar theme, me and a friend at uni were discussing the race yesterday, and he came to the conclusion that Chilton retired on Sunday not because of a vibration, but instead because he couldn't focus 100% on his driving. And really, who could blame him for wanting to park it.

[solarcold]

I know he didn't do anything daft, but it's about time Adrian Sutil gets a ROTR and I fear he has just four opportunities left. How many weekends in a row has he been outpaced and outraced by Gutiérrez Gutiérrez now?

In all fairness, he's probably still massively shaken up by what he witnessed at Suzuka. If that's the case (and I suspect it might be), he deserves plaudits for even racing at Sochi.

On a similar theme, me and a friend at uni were discussing the race yesterday, and he came to the conclusion that Chilton retired on Sunday not because of a vibration, but instead because he couldn't focus 100% on his driving. And really, who could blame him for wanting to park it.

Russian TV commentator (Alexei Popov, the one who took the podium interview) mentioned that, while in paddock before the grand prix or at the dinner or anywhere else, he has seen Adrian being extremely depressed, sitting mostly alone deep in his thoughts. I tend to believe that.

[golic_2004]

This race for ruining my sex drive.

Did you hurt your hand or something?

Anyway, I nominate Caterham's PR team. Kobayashi retired, I don't think anyone really cared. They then proceed to try and cover their arses with this tweet, furthering the notion that Kobayashi was on full start-and-park mode.

And I thought #startandpark only occurred in NASCAR, which I let it be very well known on my twitter. What a shame and Caterham (or Cartenham) is definitely Reject of the Race.

[Captain Hammer]

It's suspected that they did it to preserve the engine, because if it goes, they may not be able to afford another one. And then they may not be able to enter two cars in subsequent races, which opens them up to sanctions from the FIA.

Also, if they choose to retire the car for technical reasons, then they have to show cause to the FIA.

[girry]

F1 Fans. Welcome back to 2010 style racing, this is what you wanted from Pirelli wasn't it?